Type casting



Feb.7, 1939. J- G si FULLER 2,146,502

TYPE CASTING :filed July 12, 1957 2 sheen-snee: 1

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Feb. 7, 1939. 4 Ggs, FULLER 12,146,502 TYPE CASTINGI Filed-July 12, 1957 2 sheets-snee: 2

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- erzd Fuller By p `i A TTORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TYPE. CASTING Gerald S. Fuller, Schenectady, N. Y.

Application July 12, l1937, Serial No. 153,135

10 Claims.

MyV invention relates to type casting and an impro-vedmethod of producing the desired form of Vtype casting, and more particularly to such typer casting in which the molten metal is cast in a mold with a portion of the metal in contact with matrices to form the desired character or line of characters thereon.

A machine commonly used in this art for making such type castings or slugs is known as a Ludlow type casting machine. In this machine, the matrices are composed in a stick, placed in the machine with the character recesses in the matrices presented toward the mold; the matrices are then clamped against the mold, and the molten metal is supplied to the mold so as to form the charactersinr the matrices on the east` metal with a narrow web portion extending .from the bottom portion or the type casting. The slug is withdrawn from the matrices, trimmed along the edge of the web opposite-the type face to provide an accurate smooth surface for aligning" the type face, as required in composition, and the slug isejected from the machine. The slug is then ordinarily composed in a galley with other type, suchas Linotype slugs.

It is frequently desirable to compose these slugs cast in the Ludlow machine in a plate byA providing a recess or mortise in. the plate. The slug Obtained from this Ludlow machine cannot be used without alteration, because it is the practice to make the plates relatively thin and support them in the galley on a base so that the type face or printing face ony the plate is in the same plane as the other type faces of the composition with which the plate is used. In orderto utilize the slugs cast in the Ludlow machine, it has been the practice to saw ol the webV portion from the body portion of the slug immediately adjacent the body portion. Great care must be exercised by the workman in sawi'ng 01T this web portion as any inaccuracy will cause the` type face in the final composition to be out of line and thus cause a failure to vproduce clear characters in the final printing..`

An object of my invention is to provide a type casting having one or more characters on the face thereof and a height equal tothe distance between the type face and the supporting base used in composition so as to avoid the necessity of machine work or the like in making the type casting.

Another object of. my invention is toI provide a type casting having a character on the face thereof and an indentation therein in which the type casting is parted from the source of metal used in casting, so as to cast all of the type face and aligning surfaces of the type casting in a finished condition. l

A further object of my invention is to provide a method of making'th-e type casting in which of the type casting and provided witha restrictedv opening to facilitate the ready separation of the portions.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a method of breaking apart the portions of a type castingl without damaging the type faces.

Further objectsv and advantages of my invention lwill become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention willv be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part ofthe specification.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan ViewV of a stick made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the stick shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is anl end view on the line 3 3 of-Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View illustrating how the stick shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive is used in a type casting machine; Fig, 5 is a fragmentary perspective View ofv a slug or type casting having a plate cast thereinV in accordance with my invention; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 5; Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view cf the type face portion of the type casting or slug having a parting recess in the back thereofI with the web portion broken away and removed; Fig. 8 is atransverse sectional View of a clamp which I prefer to employ in breaking the web from the body portion of the slug or type casting; and Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, in making type castings in a Ludlow machine, a stick is used of the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. This stick comprises a rectangular frame I0 having inclined parallel side walls II extending longitudinally thereof in which the matrices used in composition are placed side by side and clamped together in the stick by a clamping block I2 which is slidably mounted in the stick and adjustable by a knob I3 which is secured by a pin I4 to an adjusting screw I5 threaded in the clamping block.

In order to provide for ready separation of the portion of the type casting formed in the matrices from the portion of the type casting formed in the mold, a relatively thin plate I6 is secured to the bottom of the stick, as viewed in Fig. 1. This plate is provided with a restricted opening terminating within the body portion of the type casting so that the web portion of, the type casting can be broken away from the body portion without disturbing the smooth aligning surface on the back or bottom of the body portion. It will be understood that this restricted opening may be formed in any desired manner, but I prefer to utilize an elongated slot I1 extending almost the entire length of the body portion of the type casting. This elongated slot I1 is made to terminate within the body portion of the type casting by forming the metal of the plate i6 about the opening and throughout the length of the opening, so that it is rounded and extends into the body portion oi" the type casting, as indicated at I8 in Fig. 4.

Since the plate I6 is cast in the machine as a unit with the slug or type casting, it is necessary that the dimensions of the plate I6 be such as to pass freely with the slug through the machine during the operations of withdrawing the slugs from the matrices, trimming the bottom edge of the slug, and ejecting the slug from the machine, the matrices and the stick remaining in place on the machine. It is therefore desirable to make the plate I6 so that it will have the desired alignment with respect to the matrices and the mold, and yet be freely removable from the stick during the operations performed before the slug and plate are ejected from the machine. The relation of the stick I6, the plate I6, to the mold cavity ISa of the mold I9, and the relation of the rounded portion of the plate I8 about the elongated slot I1 which extends within the mold cavity a of the matrix 2i) is clearly shown in Fig. 4. The plate I6 is provided with side anges IIia along the opposite edges which are parallel and slightly spaced outwardly from the side surfaces il on the stick so that the matrix or matrices composed in the stick will not come in contact with the flanges I6a.. The height of the flanges I6a. is such that when the edges of the flanges are in engagement with the stick the surface IIby of the plate is in contact with the fiat faces of the matrices about their character casting recesses 20a. These surfaces |61)` are fiat, and the lower surface of the plate is also flat and fits in good contact with the top surface I9?) of the mold I9. The plate I6 is arranged with one end flush with the end of the stick Ill opposite the adjusting handle I3, and the other end thereof at the block I2, there being no flanges on the opposite ends of the plate I6, so that one end of the plate embraces a rectangular boss lila at one end of the stick, and the other end thereof embraces the adjustable block I2.

In order to maintain the plate I6 in the exact relation required, the stick II) is provided with an alignment bar 2| having a longitudinal finished face Zia which is parallel to the faces II and the center line of the stick; the surface 2Ial which is carried by the stick also conforms closely to the flange I6a. throughout its length. The end of the alignment bar 2| is provided with an aligning shoulder 2lb which engages the end of the plate i6 so as to locate the opposite end of the plate flush with the end of the stick. The opposite edge of the plate is resiliently urged into engagement with the aligned surface 2Ia. by a spring 22 attached to a pin 23 which is secured to the stick about midway between the oposite ends of the plate.

By this arrangement, the operator can slide the plate I6 into position on the stick along the aligning surface 2Ia with the edges Ia of the flanges in engagement with the stick. This will force the spring 22 outwardly so as to securely grip the plate against the aligning surface 2|a., and the movement of the plate will be arrested by engagement with the shoulder 2 Ib in its final aligned position. It is to be noted that the plate I6 can be very readily pulled away from the stick as required when the slug is trimmed and ejected from the machine.

After the plate I6 is assembled on the stick, the matrices are composed in the stick with their faces in contact with the surface of the plate I6 and in engagement with the aligning surfaces II of the stick. The matrices are then clamped by the adjusting screw I3. The stick is then placed in the type casting machine in the position shown in Fig. 4, the matrices are clamped against the plate I6 so as to form a joint about the casting recesses in the matrices which will prevent molten metal leaking therefrom when the molten metal is supplied thereto in casting. The lower surface of the plate is at the same time retained in similar close contact with the top surface I9b= of the mold I9, and the spacer plate 24 is clamped between the mold I9 and a support 25 from which molten metal is supplied toy the type casting. Molten metal is then supplied under pressure and the type casting is formed in the machine. |The bottom edge 26a of the type casting 26 is trimmed by suitable knives, and the type casting or slug together with the plate I6 is ejected from the machine in the form shown, for example, in Fig. 5, in which a type casting is shown having a relatively wide body portion 21 on which the characters are cast which is integral with the lower web portion 26. The metal flowing from the web portion 26 to the body portion 21 passes through the restricted opening I1 within the finished back surface of the body portion 21. The web portion 26 is then broken away from the body portion 21 by clamping the type face of the body portion 21 securely against a smooth surface, and then fracturing the narrow weakened section of the web portion 26 at the mouth of the opening I1 within the body portion y21, producing the body portion 21 of the configuration shown in Fig. 7. The height between the bottom smooth surface 21h of the type casting shown in Fig. '1 to the upper type face 21a is equal to the distance between the top surface of a base used in a composition in argalley or the like and the plane of the adjacent type face used in the composition which is generally known as plate high or of shell cast height. In this way, I am enabled to readily produce cast characters in a slug of a height which can be used with facility to make various unusual compositions and conveniently change compositions by morticing plates or the like. Furthermore, an operator can readily produce the slugs of the desired height with one or more characters and without the necessity of altering the finished surfaces of the type casting as required by present methods such as sawing and filing, or the like.

Although I have explained my invention in connection with a Ludlow type casting machine, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other types of machines may be utilized to carry out my invention.

In breaking the body portion 21 from the web portion 26, I provide a breaker, shown in Figs. 8 and 9, comprising a frame 30 secured to the edge of support 3| by a bolt 32. A swinging plate 33 is mounted on a bar 34 which is carried by ears 35 attached to the frame. The plate 33 is loosely mounted on the bar 34 by ears 33a,

and' a cam 36 is arranged in the middle of the bar 34 to be operated by a handle 3l. 'I'he slug with the attached plate shown in Figs. and 6 is inverted and placed with the type faces in contact with the smooth surfaces of the plate 33, one side of the plate I6 being received beneath a ange 38a on the frame. The handle 3l is moved upwardly so as to cause the cam 31a to securely clamp the type face against the surface of the plate 33, which prevents damaging the type face. A bar 38 is also pivotally mounted on the bar 34 by arms 39a, and a handle 39 is secured to the intermediate portion of the bar 38. The face of the plate 38 is slightly rounded to engage the side of the web of the slug, and a slight pressure exerted on the handle 39 breaks the web from the body portion of the type casting, so that the plate I 6 can be very readily separated from the body portion and the web portion, and the body portion 21 can be utilized as above described.

I have described the particular embodiments of my invention and the methods employed in carrying out my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular arrangement or method above set forth, and I intend in the appended claims to cover vall modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. The method of making a plate high type casting which comprises casting a molten metal in a type casting machine in contact with character recesses in one or more matrices and forming the type casting plate high with a relatively narrow web portion extending from the back thereof, clamping the type face on a supporting surface, and breaking the webportion from the type casting between the type face land the back thereof.

2. The method of making a plate high type casting which comprises forming a casting having a body portion with characters on one face thereof and a relatively narrow web portion extending from the back of the body portion and having a relatively narrower section on the web portion extending within the back of the body portion, clamping the character face against a supporting surface and breaking the narrower web portion from the body portion within the back thereof by applying a force in a direction substantially parallel to the character face.

3. The method of making a type casting which comprises forming a body portion in a matrix and an integral web portion in a mold cooperating with the matrix wherein a thin plate having a narrow slot for admitting metal from the web portion is placed between the matrix and the mold, and separating the web portion from the body portion at the mouth of the narrow slot in said plate and within the back of the body portion.

4. The method of making a type casting which comprises forming a body portion in a matrix and an integral web portion in a mold cooperating with the matrix wherein a thin plate having a restricted opening for admitting metal from the web portion to the body portion is place-d between the matrix and the mold and separating the web portion from the body portion at the mouth of the restricted opening in said plate and within the back of the body portion by planting the body portion against a supporting surface and breaking the web portion therefrom.

5. A type casting machine comprising a matrix for forming characters in cast metal, a mold cooperating with the matrix to form at least a part of the body of the type casting, and a plate interposed between the matrix and the mold having a restricted opening through which molten metal can ow from the mold to the matrix, the restricted opening in said plate extending within the back of the metal cast in said matrix to provide for easy separation of the metal cast in the mold from the metal cast in the matrix without any rough surfaces on the back of the type casting formed in the matrix.

6. A plate for use in type casting machines to effect the ready separation of two portions of metal cast in the machine having a restricted opening therethrough adapted to form a passage for molten metal during casting between the two metal portions and extending within the portion on which the type face is cast so as to provide a smooth supporting surface for the type casting and to providefor separation of the two cast portions without roughening of the back surface of the portion having the type faces.

'7. In combination with a stick for supporting a series of matrices for casting type in `a type casting machine, a plate carried by said stick and having a restricted opening extending within the casting recess in the matrices composed in the stick and a surface adjacent the opening for sealing the faces of the matrices against the leakage of molten metal.

8. In combination with a stick for supporting a series of matrices for casting type in a type casting machine, a plate carried by said stick and having a restricted opening extending within the casting recess in the matrices composed in the stick and a surface adjacent the opening for sealing the faces of the matrices against the leakage of molten metal, and means for removably securing the plate to said stick.

9. In combination with a stick for supporting a series of matrices for casting type in a type casting machine, a plate carried by said stick and having a restricted opening communicating with the casting recess in the matrices composed in the stick and a surface adjacent the opening for sealing the faces of the matrices against leakage of molten metal, said plate having flanges embracing the sides of the matrices extending through the stick and engaging the stick adjacent the matrices, a surface carried by said stick for aligning said flanged plate longitudinally and transversely with respect to said stick, and means for. removably securing said plate against the aligning surfaces carried by said stick.

10. In combination with a stick for supporting a series of matrices for casting type in a type casting machine, a plate carried by said stick and' having a restricted opening communicating with the casting recess in the matrices composed in the stick and `a surface adjacent the opening for sealing the faces of the matrices against leakage of molten metal, said plate having flanges embracing the sides of the matrices extending through the stick and engaging the stick adjacent the matrices, a surface carried by said stick for aligning said flanged plate longitudinally and transversely with respect to said stick, and means for resiliently securing said plate against the aligning surfaces carried by said stick.

GERALD S. FULLER. 

